I was in the neighborhood of the Brooklyn Bowl last night enjoying the evening and the area until the concert started. I went into Brooklyn Brewery for a beer, but there was a private event. Across the street there is a vintage clothes store, Beacon’s.
Not generally a “shopper,” but I had nothing else to do, so I went inside to check it out. I went to the men’s section and focused on the coats, looking for something exotic like tuxedo tails or something else for dancing in. I was looking through the rack when I got the impression I was invading someone else’s space. The well groomed guy on around the center rack had what I felt to be a nervous, or uncomfortable vibe, so I excused myself and satisfied there were no tuxes went on my way.
A while later, I was just down the street from the Brooklyn Bowl, standing on the corner having a smoke (my kind). The young hipster looking guy I had seen in Beacon’s was coming across the street, with two shopping bags stuffed with clothes. Seeing as we were in neutral grounds, I complemented him on his scores. He seemed very pleased with himself, but then burst into even more excitement when he started explaining what he was doing when I saw him by the coat rack. He started raving about the coat that he was looking at when I showed up. I hadn’t seen it – because apparently he was being coy with it, not that I would have noticed. He went on about this fine classic coat I really should consider buying. He said it was too large for him, and he was tight on cash – or he would have bought it himself.
He explained that it was a classic Burberry full length trench coat. On he went about how he used to work at a Burberry store and he met gentlemen that had their coats for 20 years and were still raving about them. That this coat had the full button in lining and was in great condition and was worth over $2000. And on top of that – Beacon’s had a $49 price tag on it. Now I was not in the market for a trench coat. I owned a London Fog, that my mother bought for me as a congratulations present for my first corporate job, but other than that, a trench coat was not on my radar. Neither have I been particularly flush lately, though $50 would not break my bank.
But the fact that this nice young man had felt so adamant about what a great coat it would be for me, i had to check it out. It wasn’t hard to find as it was the longest coat in the rack – honey colored, and when I pulled it off the pole – it was impossible not to appreciate the great weight of the thing. This was more than a coat – it could be a home. I tried it on, talked to a couple of other customers for reassurance that it fit and looked OK and put my money down
I wrote this is 2013 – it is now 2020 and I think it’s time to retire the Burberry coat…